Thanks to all that showed up for the Crane Festival over the weekend
in Othello. We don't have a final tally yet, but know that it was
more than last year. We also directed many birders to cranes both
before and after the event. For any of you that attended, please
offer some feedback (email directly to me is fine) on how we can
improve the festival next year.

For those of you that have not made it over yet but have a spring
break on your hands, cranes are very visible during the morning period
from sunrise until maybe 9:30 am (PST) at feeding areas, and from
about 4:00 pm until after sunset. A few mid-day roosts are visible
from SR 26 near MP 30 and the county line wetlands south of the
highway. I highly recommend the feeding area 13 miles west of Othello
at sunset. Yesterday we saw about 5-6,000 geese, 3,000 cranes, and
with the blue moon rising a flight of mostly mallards that reached
30,000. Turn off SR 26 at Road B SE (Corfu Road) and go a mile south
on the gravel road. The crane music is deafening, they will head back
to roost in low flights right over your head, and the duck flight is
incredible after the sun has set.

Randy Hill